The invention relates to an adjusting method for a vehicle seat via a drive wherein a seat component is movable throughout a range of positions, at least one pressure sensor arranged at or in the component and in controlling communication with the drive.
A method of this type is known in the case of a vehicle seat with a side wall adjustment from German Patent Document DE 196 05 779 A1. In that case, only the two seat side walls are adjusted upon an arbitrarily given switching command. Starting from a wide initial position, in which the two side walls are in their extreme position, they are moved toward one another upon the switching command until a defined contact pressure of the user is determined by an integrated pressure sensor. The side walls are then fixed in this position. The relevant switching value of the pressure sensor is always constant.
As a rule, such an adjustment takes place only once by the user at the beginning of the drive. The known method is based on the consideration that, relative to his body width, every user wants to be supported by means of the shaping-out and cushioning in the same manner in any driving situation. It is not provided that, starting from the then reached position, the side walls be adapted again to a new user or to the present user according to his desire. On the contrary, the preparatory adjusting of the starting position is required for this purpose.
The known adjusting method may be advantageous for the two seat side walls. Because of the described movement sequence, specifically the preparatory adjustment of the extreme position and the subsequent closing of the seat component to the desired position, the method cannot be applied to other seat components or can be applied only with a considerable loss of comfort. For example, if the seat back rest is considered, this back rest would first be situated in a position in which it is extremely tilted to the rear and would then have to be adapted to the respective user's requirements with respect to comfort, by a raising of the back rest.
Corresponding disadvantages also occur involving the longitudinal seat adjustment. The seat would be situated in an extreme position suitable for a tall vehicle user. A short vehicle user would have to be changed into the sitting position fitting him and would have to reach this position in a first try. If he were to exceed this position and therefore sit too closely to the steering wheel, he would have to go back into the initial position and then try to adjust his sitting position again.